E3: Microsoft and LucasArts to unveil Kinect Star Wars
by Steven Mostyn - Jun 6 2011, 06:49
This 'is' the game you're looking for. Image: LucasArts.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, there’s no denying the pang of longing that arises every time you watch that VW Passat commercial where a little Darth Vader tries… and fails… to use The Force on a variety of household objects to the tune of The Imperial March.
Luckily, the need to become one with George Lucas’s fictional life energy is about to be sated for videogame fans as Microsoft and LucasArts are expected to today unveil Kinect Star Wars at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles.
Built around Microsoft’s ‘your body is the controller’ Kinect technology for the Xbox 360 home console, Kinect Star Wars promises to provide budding Jedi knights with the opportunity to hurl, smash and crush Storm Troopers, mechanical droids and Sith warriors while never having to navigate complex gamepads.
The game will reportedly unfold between Phantom Menace (Episode I) and The Revenge of the Sith (Episode III) and will see players battling across various iconic Star Wars environments before facing off against Darth Vader himself.
The very first Star Wars experience on Kinect will also give players the chance to pilot an X-wing Fighter, compete in a Pod Race, and even wield a lightsaber.
Although recent Star Wars videogames have failed to find traction with consumers, the mere prospect of geeky fathers playing out Force-based fantasies while their Bieber-loving brethren look on in confusion should be enough to thrust Kinect Star Wars up the retail charts.
And you qualify for consideration as a geeky father if you’ve ever swiped your hand through the air a millisecond before a sliding door has automatically opened before you.
Kinect Star Wars is being developed to suit all age groups (nothing too gruesome, then) and is expected to hit retail as an Xbox 360 exclusive in the final quarter.
See the game in action by watching the following teaser trailer:
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